5.8 Magnitude Quake Rattles St Lucia

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake was felt in St Lucia and other parts of the Eastern Caribbean this afternoon, with residents reporting feeling buildings shaking.

The quake occurred around 3:54 p.m. at a depth of 20 km, 120 km northeast of the capital, Castries; 73 km northeast of Fort-de-France, Martinique; and 93 km east-southeast of Roseau, Dominica, according to the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (SRC).

St. Lucia’s National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) said there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries although the tremor appeared to have been felt islandwide.

And the SRC said people living in Antigua, Martinique, St Vincent and St Lucia also reported feeling the shaking.

“Very strong at Morne Fortune at about 3:53 pm. Doors at side entrance were rattling quite loudly. Made a dash for cover under a desk,” one Facebook user in St Lucia wrote on the SRC’s page.

“Felt it at Whitchurch, Dominica. Lasted long and it was a strong shake. My mum in La Plaine said she heard the rumbling approaching,” another wrote.

Earlier in the day, there were two other small quakes in the region that seemed to have gone unnoticed.

At 1 a.m., one occurred west of Tobago. Preliminary data from the SRC was that it had a magnitude of 3.7 and depth of 23 km.